Valley of the Kings Tours and Tickets

There are plenty of ways to experience the Valley of the Kings. Looking at ratings and reviews previously given by customers, these are the best tours available right now:

• Hurghada: Luxor Valley of the Kings & Tutankhamun Tomb Trip

• Luxor Day Tour: Valley of Kings & Queens & Hatshepsut Temples

• VIP Luxor Day Tour from Hurghada, El gouna, Makadi, Soma Bay

• Luxor: Valley of Kings, Hatchepsut Temple, Karnak & Luxor-DayTour

• Luxor Full Day Tour to Luxor West and East Banks and Lunch

For international travelers, admission to the Valley of the Kings costs 750 Egyptian pounds for adults, and 375 Egyptian pounds for students. Many visitors opt to see the Valley of the Kings on a day trip that includes a guided tour, which can vastly enrich this site with limited signage. Tours start at US$20.

Yes, the Valley of the Kings is worth visiting. Its dozens of tombs—including those of pharaohs Tutankhamun and Ramesses II—have vivid paintings that bring ancient Egypt to life. It's also convenient to the other destinations on Luxor's west bank, such as the Temple of Hatshepsut and Valley of the Queens.

Per one customer who booked the Full Day Tour of Luxor West Bank Temples and Tombs (Private), "I cannot recommend Sayed Gamal enough for anyone visiting Egypt. His depth of knowledge about ancient Egyptian history is staggering—it felt like traveling with a walking encyclopedia. He made visit to Valley of Kings, temple of Hatshepsut, Noble's tombs very pleasant end efficient."

Plan around two hours at the Valley of the Kings whether you're exploring alone or on a regular tour: it's enough to visit the three tombs covered by standard entry. You'll need more time to visit further graves and the select tombs of Tutankhamun, Seti I, and Rameses V and VI, which require separate tickets.

Yes, Valley of Kings tours vary from half-day tours to the tombs alone and full-day trips with the valley as one stop on multi-stop Luxor itineraries. Standard tours let you enter three tombs (depending on those open) to view their hieroglyphs and chambers, while others provide time to visit additional tombs, such as Tutankhamun.

The best times to visit the Valley of the Kings are winter, spring, or fall (late October through early April) when Egypt's weather is pleasantly warm and sunny without being blazingly hot. These peak periods, however, bring peak visitor numbers, so aim to arrive early to beat the late-morning crowds.

Yes. Once at the Valley of the Kings' entrance, you can follow walkways to the burial chambers, helped by signposted maps that show their locations. It's a roughly 10-minute walk to the farthest tombs, sometimes on uneven ground. If you're on a tour, time restrictions might mean visiting the nearest tombs is best.

Yes, the Valley of the Kings has two sets of restrooms. The first and best-maintained is inside the Visitor Center, from where you walk or ride a mini-train (additional charge) to and from the actual valley entrance. The second is inside this entrance, a 5- to 10-minute walk from the actual tombs.

Valley of the Kings tickets for standard entry, which allows three tomb visits, costs 260 EGP ($8.41); separate tickets for select tombs, like Tutankhamun's, are 100–1,000 EGP. A private half-day valley tour is about 1,400 EGP, and a full-day tour covering the valley and other Luxor sights, is around 3,000 EGP, including admissions.

There are tons of things to do when you're done visiting the Valley of the Kings. According to travelers, these are some of the top attractions in Luxor:

• Karnak Temple

• Luxor Temple

• Temple of Hatshepsut

• Colossi of Memnon

• Temple of Horus

View Viator's guide to all the best attractions in Luxor.